Project BLACK MAMBA: Welcome to Ordinary Time

The son of two saints, Basil (the Elder) & Emmilia (jointly 30 May), young Gregory was raised by his older brother, Saint Basil the Great (2 January), & his sister, (Saint) Macrina (the Younger, 19 July), in modern-day Turkey. Gregory's success in his studies suggested great thigns were ahead for him. After becoming a professor of rhetoric, he was persuaded to devote his learning & efforts tot eh Church. By then married, Gregory went on to study for the priesthood & became ordained (this at a time when celibacy was not a matter of law for priests). He was elected Bishop of Nyssa in 372, a period of great tension over the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Briefly arrested after being falsely accused of embezzling Church funds, Gregory was restored to his see in 378, an act met with great joy by his people.

The good folks at Holy Family have also seen fit to publish a wee hagiography of St. Gregory Nazianzen (2 January)—oddly, listing 14 January as his feast day—having only hagiographied St. Basil the Great on their shared feast day. For my part, I have updated the appropriate BLACK MAMBA post: Wayback Machine '17.